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Project Trail Bronco: MasterCraft Performance Seat Install

We’re kicking off Project Trail Bronco with one of the most important pieces of equipment—seats. You can upgrade axles, tires and gears, but if that seat is old, hard or too soft, you’re not going to be a happy camper after a day on the trail.

The early Ford Bronco left a lot to be desired for seats. They are small and don’t have much in the form of head support. Even though our Bronco’s tan bucket seats look warm and comfy, they’re actually old and saggy. It was time for a new place to park it.

MasterCraft Safety has been making off-road seats since the early ‘70s. Based in Santee, California, the company is always looking at ways to perfect and evolve its seats and safety equipment with the sport. Owner Robby Pierce is a big supporter of the off-road industry and personally tests his product in the elite SCORE Trophy Truck class.

THE SEATSMasterCraft Safety Performance seats are made from mild steel tubing (.065 wall HREW 1010), and these rugged seats are precision formed and MIG welded to make one of the toughest seat in the dirt.

The seat’s one-piece suspension liner is made of nylon-coated Phifertex mesh to give it a unique ride.

MasterCraft seats also feature high-quality polyurethane foam of different thickness and density to create a body-hugging shape and feel. The attachment points for the liner are double lapped, grommeted and attached to the frame with mil-spec nylon cord. We like that.

The MasterCraft suspension seat is finished off with high-quality Naugahyde vinyl upholstery and Marquesa Lana Fabric center inserts. If you’re into custom, then MasterCraft offers a large selection of upholstery colors to compliment your rig’s interior or your persona.

When we were ready to get our new seats, we contacted MasterCraft Safety, and Vanessa Sherman was very helpful with answering our Bronco seat questions and getting our order placed. We went back and forth on style, size and upholstery options, and she was able to help us find the right seats for Project Trail Bronco.

THE INSTALLAbout two weeks after placing our order we got a call that our seats were ready. We are always amazed at the quality craftsmanship and materials MasterCraft uses on their seats. They were beautiful, a true work of art. The touch and feel is amazing. We couldn’t wait to get those old buckets out and get these new seats in.

The following tools are required to install MasterCraft Performance Seats on an early Ford Bronco.

We only had to remove the factory front bucket seats. Our Bronco didn’t come with a rear bench. This demolition took less than 30 minutes.

Since we had our tub open, we took the opportunity to freshen up the floor by spraying on some new paint. Rhino Liner would have been nice, but first we needed to get our seats installed.

We laid out the seat brackets specifically made by MasterCraft for early Ford Broncos. There is a left and right side bracket. The passenger side has a peg leg with a tab.

After both seat brackets are fastened, adding the MasterCraft Sportsman seats is quick and easy. There’s a total of four bolts per seat.

Before drilling any holes in the floor, we considered different mounting locations. The MasterCraft Rubicon bench already comes with three mounting tabs that sit flush on the floor (two front, one rear). To fasten the seat we only needed to drill some holes on the Bronco and add five 1/4-inch bolts.

The overall installation was very straightforward. It took less than two hours to measure, position, drill holes and fasten the MasterCraft Sportsman and Rubicon bench seats to Project Trail Bronco.

FINAL THOUGHTS

We can tell you first hand that MasterCraft Performance Seats are far superior to the factory seats, especially for off-road use. Sitting in them you feel like they conform to your body and give a secure fit. We know from previous experience that they hold up really well and provide a great ride and support both on and off road.

We plan on adding a MasterCraft five-point harness in the future, but for now we will live with lap belts for recreational wheelin’. One thing is for sure, after adding the MasterCraft bench seat the interior of our Ford Bronco looks 100 percent better.

If you’re looking for the ultimate off-road performance seat for your 4x4, give MasterCraft Safety a call. They will take care of you and will gladly find the right fit for your off-road vehicle. A full line of suspension seats and safety equipment is also available from MasterCraft Safety products.